Amazonite

Amazonite is the green to blue-green variety of microcline feldspar. Its colour can range from pale mint green and turquoise-green to deeper blue-green, sometimes with white streaks, patches or fine internal patterns produced by intergrowths within the feldspar. Amazonite is not a separate mineral species. It is a colour variety of microcline, a potassium-rich feldspar mineral. The exact cause of its colour has been studied extensively. Modern research indicates that the characteristic green to blue-green colour is linked mainly to small amounts of lead interacting with water or hydroxyl-related defects within the feldspar structure. Despite its name, Amazonite is not known to have originated from the Amazon River region in any major historical or mineralogical sense. The name was inherited from older references to green stones from the Amazon area, even though those stones were probably not true Amazonite. Amazonite commonly forms in granitic pegmatites and other feldspar-rich igneous rocks. It is widely used for cabochons, beads, carvings, towers, spheres, palmstones and decorative objects because of its attractive colour and relatively good polish.